Lingering in the shadows under the oak tree, he saw a faint smile curve her lips as she turned a page. Curious to know what had brought such a melancholy expression to her face, he probed her mind, surprised to discover that she was wishing a knight in shining armor would ride into her life, sweep her off her feet, and carry her away.
He cursed softly. She was so young, so innocent. There were no fairy-tale endings in life - only pain and loss and endless loneliness.
A rueful grin twisted his lips. It would not be a gallant warrior in sun-bright armor sweeping her off her feet this night, but a monster in the guise of a man. For too long, he had pretended to be something he wasn't.
Tonight, he would unleash the beast within him.
A low, animal-like growl of remorse rumbled deep in his throat. For a moment, he thought of turning away, of returning home, his desire unfulfilled, his hunger unfed. With sheer effort of will, he forced the thought from his mind. A lion did not feel sympathy for its prey. It made its kill, clean and quick, took what it needed to survive, and moved on.
And so would he. Like the lion, he would take what he needed, what he wanted, and move on.
Adrianna sighed as she put the book aside and went to answer the door. She was no dreamer, no schoolgirl, to believe in fairy tales and happily-ever-after, but, oh, how she wished the man of her dreams would suddenly appear.
Wondering who would be coming to see her so late at night, she slid the safety chain in place, then opened the door.
She gasped when she sawNavarre standing on the porch. Speechless, she blinked up at him. Maybe dreamsdid come true!
She swallowed, then moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. "Hello."
Navarre's nod was curt. "Hello."
He wasn't wearing armor or riding a white horse, she mused, but he looked terribly handsome in a dark gray sweater and sweat pants.
She lifted one hand to the safety chain. "Would you like to come in?"
He stared down at her, at the pulse throbbing at the base of her throat, at the wonder in her blue eyes, and slowly shook his head. "No."
"Oh."
He felt the keen edge of her disappointment, knew, instinctively, that she had foolishly cast him in the role of white knight. White, indeed, he mused, when his whole life had been spent in darkness.
She licked her lips again, and he felt the stirrings of desire unfurl within him. "Did you want something?"
"The bed." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he had picked the wrong topic of conversation. It was all too easy to picture her in the bed he had once slept in, lying beneath the canopy, her hair spread over the pillow, her eyes heavy-lidded with passion.
"The bed?" she repeated, puzzled.
"Yes, I... I came by to make sure you were happy with it."
She hesitated a moment before answering. She was happy with the bed. It was beautiful and comfortable and yet, even though she knew it was silly, she couldn't help feeling that her new bed was somehow responsible for the strange dreams she'd been having.
"Is something wrong with it?"Navarre asked.
"No, of course not. I found an old lace bedspread for it in my great-grandmother's trunk. My mother told me it was part of great-grandmother Hall's dowry from the old country. Would you like to see it?"
Every instinct shouted at him to say no, to turn away before it was too late. Too late for her. Too late for him. Instead, he found himself nodding.
Adrianna closed the door so she could remove the safety chain, then invited him inside with a smile and a wave of her hand.
All too aware that he was making a mistake, he followed her down the corridor that led to her bedroom.
He hadn't paid much attention to the room before. Now, he noticed that the walls were papered with a delicate blue-and-rose print. An antique oak dresser stood across from the bed; an oval mirror hung on the wall. A rag doll sat in a small rocking chair located in one corner. Pale blue curtains hung at the window; a blue carpet covered the floor.
He stood in the doorway, careful to avoid the mirror.
Adrianna ran her hand over the spread. "It looks good, don't you think?"
Navarrenodded. Indeed, the ivory lace spread looked as if it had been made